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Oldways' Timeline

As we look forward to the future, we’re excited to continue working to change the way people eat—inspiring others to embrace healthy foods and cultural food traditions from the old ways. Thank you to the many people who have joined with us to make a diﬀerence around the world!

Development of a series of beloved, ground-breaking Oldways overseas symposiums for journalists, chefs, scientists and food retailers, focusing on the connection of food and culture and the scientiﬁc validity of traditional diets.

1993
Introduction of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, with the Harvard School of Public Health, featuring olive oil as the principal fat, inclusion of moderate wine drinking, and recognition of the diﬀerence between plant and animal protein— radical ideas at the time.

Founding of the Chefs Collaborative, focusing on sustainability, local and seasonal food, and bringing chefs together to advocate for change—also radical ideas at the time.

Oldways: An Organization Ahead of the Curve – 1998 to 2004

1998 and 2000
Development of Scientiﬁc Consensus Statements on Moderate Fat Diets, helping to change government policy from recommendations of low-fat to moderate-fat.

1999
Organization of the Cheese of Choice Coalition—focusing on consumers’ right to choose raw-milk cheese and the protection of the aging rules for traditional cheeses made from unpasteurized milk.

2001
Development and organization of Continuing Education Programs in Nutrition for Physicians with the Harvard School of Public Health— the ﬁrst CME course to bring together nutrition, culture, and cooking.

Creation of the Antioxidant Initiative, a program to bring attention to the power of foods and drinks with high levels of antioxidants.

2002
Development of the Water Farming Initiative, a program to push for environmentally sound aquaculture.

2003

Founding of the Whole Grains Council, an Oldways program helping consumers ﬁnd whole grains and understand their health beneﬁts; and working with manufacturers to create delicious whole grain products—accelerating the shift from reﬁned to whole grains.

2004
Development of a Scientiﬁc Consensus Statement on Healthy Pasta Meals and a campaign to ﬁght back against extreme low-carb diets.

Oldways: An Organization Breaking Down Barriers – 2005 to 2015

Creation of the Oldways Culinaria Program—extraordinary culinary tours, planned with the ﬁrm belief that the heart of any culture can be illuminated by exploring its food, wine, and culinary traditions.

2005 and 2006
Organization of coalitions to promote the traditional diets of the Mediterranean and Latin America (Mediterranean Foods Alliance and Latino Nutrition Coalition).

2007
Organization of the ﬁrst conference on the health beneﬁts of Resistant Starch—a newly-recognized type of dietary ﬁber.

2008
Celebrating the ﬁfteenth anniversary of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, Oldways brought together a scientiﬁc committee to update the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. The scientists added herbs and spices for the ﬁrst time, and made ﬁsh and seafood more prominent.

2009
Creation of National Mediterranean Diet Month, an annual celebration created to highlight the health beneﬁts of the Mediterranean Diet throughout the month of May.

2011
Development of the African Heritage Diet Pyramid, an eating pattern based on the healthy culinary traditions of the African Diaspora, and development of an accompanying education program for African Americans to claim health by using heritage as a guide.

2011 and 2012
Creation of two programs, ONE and the Supermarket Dietitian Symposium, focusing on supermarket dietitians, helping them do their jobs better, and making connections between the registered dietitians and companies that sell food and beverages.

2012
Development of a six-lesson cooking curriculum for African Americans, called A Taste of African Heritage. The curriculum was introduced coast-to-coast, with qualitative and quantitative measurements of results.

Two Oldways Culinarias: Liguria and Menton in March, and Andalusia, Spain in November. Whole Grains Month (September) introduced Good Grains for a Good Cause to nominate a favorite charity to win whole grain products.